Press Room

2011

2011

On Friday, President Obama certified that the military was ready to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that for more than 17 years has prohibited open service by lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the military.

It's hard to imagine the policy would have been repealed were it not for the several dozen foundations that poured more...

As a child, Diane Mazur was fascinated by the contents of her father's Army foot locker. The green bucket helmet, medals, uniforms and other memorabilia of wars long over drew her in and fascinated her.

"My father always spoke in a very complimentary way about his military experience - how important it was to him," recalls Mazur as she...

The presentation was direct, even matter-of-fact, giving no hint of the large-scale cultural shift that the new policy represents — or of the passionate debate it provoked among politicians, religious leaders and other civilians.

The US military embarked upon a massive new training program as of Feb. 1 as it adjusts to the repeal of "Don't Ask/ Don't Tell," the ban on queers serving openly in the military. It will be months before the changes make their way...

Myths and Facts

Research on openly gay service is extensive, and includes over half a century of evidence gathered by independent researchers and the U.S. military itself, as well as the study of the experience of foreign militaries. The U.S. military’s own researchers have consistently found that openly gay service does not undermine cohesion, and the military has repeatedly sought to condemn or suppress these conclusions when they emerged. Yet no research has ever shown that open homosexuality impairs military readiness.